It has been 13 years since coach John Baker and his St. Joseph Fighting Irish matched up with the Washington School Generals, but this doesn’t mean that time has helped Coach Baker forget. The Fighting Irish and the Generals will matchup for just the second time in school history Friday night at 7 p.m. at Washington School.
“I remember that game everyday,” Baker recalled. “It’s been hard to shake off.”
In the game 13 years ago, Baker remembers his offense fumbling on three straight possessions, setting up three Washington touchdowns in a game the Irish would eventually lose 41-14.
The Irish will finally get a chance to avenge this loss Friday night, but both Baker and Washington School Coach Todd Lott are coming into the game with nothing but respect for their opponent. Because they are starting the season earlier than the rest of the county, the Generals and the Fighting Irish will be playing the only game in town Friday night, a fact that should bring even more interest to the game.
“This game is important because it is the next one on our schedule,” Coach Lott said.
The Fighting Irish come into Friday’s matchup fresh off their fourth MAIS state championship in six years. Last November, St. Joseph defeated Tri-County 26-14 to claim the MAIS Class 4A State Championship.
This season the Irish will be playing in MAIS Class 3A (District 1), while Washington School are in Class 4A (District 3).
“We have been wanting to play this game the last couple of seasons, but our schedules just didn’t work out.”
Even though St. Joseph is coming off a state championship, this doesn’t mean Coach Baker thinks his Irish should be considered the favorite Friday night.
“Both teams have different strengths and weaknesses coming into the game, which means it is going to come down to securing the football, and not committing turnovers. Washington School is a much more fundamentally sound football team then they have been in recent years,” Coach Baker said.
At Washington School, Coach Lott returned to the Generals last season hoping to restore the program to its championship past. Lott graduated from in 1984 and later coached the football team to state championships in 2008 and 2009. Lott helped coach the Generals for 22 years and served as head coach for 10 years.
Last season, Coach Lott’s Generals finished the season with just two victories, a number that doesn’t sit well with a man as competitive as he.
This upcoming season the Generals are moving down in their classification in the MAIS, from 5A to 4A, but Coach Lott warns that this doesn’t mean things will get any easier.
“I think we will have a chance to win a lot more games no matter what conference we are in. I don’t know the 4A teams that well but I know there are some awfully good 4A teams that could compete against anybody. I don’t think the number of As in your conference matters. I think there are a lot of good football teams across the state,” Coach Lott said.
Along with their conference switch, another big switch for the Gens are the new assistant coaches who will be on the sidelines next season. Chris Ball, from Heritage Academy, is the new wide receivers and defensive line coach. Mike McLendon, from Deer Creek School, is the offensive line and secondary coach.
Justin ‘Boogie’ Leavy is the new strength and conditioning coach. Jack Suddoth will continue being the junior high coach and David Rounsavall will coach quarterbacks.
